Wet Pavement
by Anderson Jen
Summary: "There's always a new day darling. Wait for the storm to pass, and the clouds to break, and you'll see that a new day can start in the middle of one already there." As Brandon kissed her again, Callie's heart soared. He was her hope, her new beginning. She knew that with him, she could face whatever would come. Brandon/Callie, slightly AU. Oneshot


**So I'm basically obsessed with The Fosters, and with the relationship between Callie and Brandon. They're one of my favorite fictional couples to ever exist, and I sincerely hope that everything between them works out on the show. Anyways, this is an idea I got while walking my puppy after a rainstorm the other day. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Fosters, all rights to ABC Family.**

Between his constant returning, Jude's promises, and the smell of wet pavement, Callie should've realized that he was it for her, and nothing else would ever matter as much as him.

Callie had never been able to explain it to anyone. Not for their lack of understanding, but because of hers.

"Wet pavement?" they would ask. "That's a strange smell to enjoy. Where did that come from?"

"My mother," Callie would reply softly, making anyone who asked quiet. People wanted to be compassionate and helpful, but they always felt awkward. How do you react when a teenage girl brings up the death of her mother as an explanation for something? Exactly: you don't.

She wasn't lying though. When she was little, her mother was always so hopeful about everything. Callie used to think she was crazy, but now it made sense. Colleen used to say things like, "Look forward to the new tomorrow!" or "There's always a new day darling. Wait for the storm to pass, and the clouds to break, and you'll see that a new day can start in the middle of one already there." It was a very optimistic way to look at the things, especially since Donald was sometimes the more negative one. Callie supposed her mother's love for the idea of hope came from Donald saving Colleen when she was pregnant with someone else's child—he became her hope.

When Callie was little and something bad happened, she always took them to a basketball court and dumped a bottle of water on the ground. The smell would take seconds to appear, wafting up to Callie's nose and reminding her of the fresh smell after a hard downpour. It gave her comfort, especcialy when Colleen told her the story of how she and Donald met.

Apparently, when Colleen and Donald met, she was walking through a park and trying to decide where her life would go from there. She passed the basketball courts a few time, the smell of the pavement hitting her. It had rained earlier, so the heat was making it steam slightly. Despite the humidity, Colleen thought that the smell wasn't wholly unpleasant. When she looked up and saw Donald, her world changed. She defined that moment, seeing Donald and the two smiling at each other, as her new beginning, her new day.

Even if Callie hadn't full understood when her mother told her at a younger age, it brought Callie a sense of peace. She continued the tradition after her mom died, no matter where she was, if she possibly could. It was amazing when it rained at Juvie and she had to go outside—the smell gave her the smallest bit of hope. The day before she left to go meet the Fosters, it rained. As she walked out of the detention center, a small bit of hope sprung up in her at the smell of wet pavement.

So yeah. It was the weirdest thing, but it meant a lot to her.

Then there was Jude. Her whole life, Callie's goal had been to make Jude happy, keep him safe, and get him what he wants. She protected him and gave him every piece of herself that she had available, as he was the only person to never let her down. When she did screw up, she felt like she deserved all his wrath and his lack of forgiveness. He hardly ever did that, however, which made her even luckier to have him.

At least, that was her opinion.

The day of the fundraiser for Girls United, Callie welcome Jude into the Quinn's home with a hesitant smile. He gave her a courageous grin and took her hand, quickly leaning up to quietly ask if they could go somewhere private and talk. She agreed, leading him to the parlor type area where she had eaten breakfast that morning.

"Are you okay?" she asked instantly. "Do we need to leave?"

"Of course not," Jude promised, rolling his eyes affectionately. "I just wanted to talk to you about your acceptance of the Quinns."

Callie blanched. "Wait, what?"

"You still hold back around them," Jude explained. "You've got to give in to your heart, Callie. They love you, Robert clearly shows it and Sophia doesn't have a problem hiding it. You could be happy with them."

"Jude, what are you trying to say?" Callie sputtered out in utter confusion.

"If you decided to live with them, then I wouldn't be mad," he shrugged. "You've spent so much time taking care of me, making sure I'm the one who had everything. Well, I have that now. I think it's time you have everything you want. Living with the Quinn's ould give you that, ad we'd still always be close by."

"Jude, being with the Foster's gives me everything I want."

"Including Brandon?"

Callie was once more silenced. Jude smiled softly. "I know you still love him, Callie. He still loves you. It's clear to anyone who pays attention. Lena knows…she sees it between you two all the time, I can tell by the way she purses her lips when you two are together. You can't hide it, Callie."

"None of this matters," Callie sighed deeply. "Robert signed the papers, I'm going to get adopted, live with you and the other Foster's, and I will finally have the family I've always wanted and needed. I'm glad that I have your blessing to think selfishly, and wanting the adoption is selfish, so there you have it. Now come on, I'm starving."

She put an end to that conversation there. It was insane for her to wrap her head around everything that happened later, when she had pushed the idea of living with the Quinns out of her head. With the papers gone, what was Callie to do? She had told Robert she was never going to be happy, because that's what it felt like. Her chance to be a part of the Fosters had been ripped from her. That gaol that she'd been so focused on was gone, just like that.

Her mom.

Her dad.

Brandon.

Now the Fosters.

Why couldn't the world let Callie selfishly have everything she wanted?

This is what she asked herself, even after Brandon had sat her on the bench and calmed her down. She wanted Brandon, but she had to give him up to have a family. She wanted a family, but that was being taken from her. Why couldn't she just have both? Jude's words about her living with the Quinn's ad being able to love Brandon at the same time rang through her head.

So she kissed him. Callie gave into to selfish desires and kissed Brandon. _What the hell?,_ she thought, not caring much. She'd just lost the chance to be adopted, so she was going to let her feelings rise. Brandon, the boy who never stopped loving her, no matter what. Brandon, the boy who was always there, waiting for her to run to him. She always ended up there, in his arms. In some way, shape, or form, Callie returned to Brandon. He was her love, her best friend, and he would never be her brother. It just wasn't ever going to happen.

Brandon pulled back from their passionate exchange, breathing deeply. "God, Callie…"

"I'm sorry," Callie whispered. Brandon's voice, full of longing, made her heart beat madly. "I am so sorry for everything I put you through, and thank you for staying close to me. I don't know what I would do without you."

"I'm here forever, Callie," he swore. "I was an idiot trying to shove my feelings down. I love you. I don't think I will ever stop loving you."

She let out a small sob of relief, clutching him close in a desperate hug. In his arms, she felt safer than ever—the way it always was with him. Callie snuggled deeply into his embrace, not surprised when he pulled her fully into his lap and held her firmly there, burying his face in her hair.

What she felt for Brandon wasn't wrong, it couldn't possibly be wrong. Callie knew in her soul that he was going to be a part of her life, but not as her brother. He was it for her.

"What am I going to do?" she whispered, still clutching to him. "I don't know where to go from here."

"Away from all this," Brandon replied. "That's where we'll start. Come on, let's go for a walk."

So she let him pull her from her seat. Callie smiled as their hands intertwined and he tugged her towards the exit. Together, they walked towards the street. They'd barely begun the walk before Callie noticed that the sprinklers in the front yard were on, and wetting the dark asphalt in front of her. Still holding Brandon's hand, she felt tears well into her eyes at the smell wafting up to her nose.

"A new day, and a new hope," Callie muttered.

"Don't be going all Star Wars on me, I can't be held accountable when you can't breathe because I'm kissing you so much," Brandon chuckled. Callie rolled her eyes, aware that he knew all about her obsession with the smell of wet pavement. "Hey, I love you."

Callie smiled mischievously. "I know."

"Alright, that does it!"

As Brandon kissed her again, Callie's heart soared. Brandon was her hope, her new beginning. She knew that with him, she could face whatever would come.


End file.
